Electronic cards are used to transport information used in the operation of electronic devices. For example, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is used with a cellular telephone to provide subscriber identification information to the cellular telephone. In a cellular system requiring use of SIM cards, such as the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) system, a user's subscriber account identification information is stored on his or her SIM card rather than within the cellular telephone. This is beneficial because any cellular telephone configured to receive a SIM card may be operated by the user under his or her account. Another type of electronic card is a flash memory card, such as the MultiMediaCard (MMC) manufactured by Sandisk. A flash memory card may be used with a cellular telephone to expand the functionality and capability thereof. In particular, the flash memory card may be used to store the entire phone book of a major city, to store the complete text of news stories transmitted to the cellular phone, to store voice recognition features, to function as a voice recorder, and to function as a personal organizer.
To accommodate and utilize an electronic card, such as a SIM card or a flash memory card, the cellular telephone employs a card reader to electrically and mechanically interface to the card. To ensure reliable connectivity, the card reader must secure the card to the device. In order to secure the card, the card reader must necessarily be larger in size than the card. This is clearly exemplified by, for example, the SIM card card reader of U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,707 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,552. While benefiting from the increased functionality and capability described above, a cellular phone with two card readers (one for the SIM card and the other for the flash memory card) will exhibit an increased size or volume. This is unfortunate as those cellular telephones with small volumes and compact form factors often enjoy the greatest commercial success.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to accommodate two different electronic cards, such as a SIM card and a flash memory card, in an electronic device, such as a cellular telephone, with no, or only minimal, increase in volume or form factor of the electronic device.